I'm like anyone else. I have my reason for collecting a particular brand. And, it makes sense to me or at least justifys it. I find the Camillus/Kastor company to have an interesting and long history. The many brand names associated with the firm are intertwined in the history of cutlery and is very much a part of American history. Kastor was mostly an import company and later became both an importer and knife manufacturer. They had dozens of brand names under trademark and many patents to their credit. Both Kastor and Camillus names appeared on U S. made and import knives. They made knives under hundreds of brand names for hardware stores, wholesalers, jobbers, distributors, organizations, department stores, other cutlery manufacturers, and more. There are even reports of them having knives made to their specs for them. During WW1 and WW2 they made millions of knives for the U.S. military and our allies. Those knives turn up all over the world in collections. They are cherished as much by collectors in other countries as their foreign knives are cherished by us. No one could ever collect an example of every knife they made. It is a challenge to find all of just one of their more common brands. The variety is mind-boggling. Another reason the brand is popular is that the values range from dirt cheap to incredibly expensive. There is a specific collection possibility for anyone. You can collect knives that were sold by the firm in your area, a particular pattern, a certain handle material, or any of dozens of collection types. You can't just buy a book that tells you all there is to know about this firm. There is much yet to be discovered. And, I enjoy the challenge. I hope others will join me in this quest to unravel the mysteries yet known. If you are looking for a great hobby, or you are already a knife collector needing a challenge that is affordable, fun, and full of variety, consider collecting Camillus and Kastor knives while sharing the experience with others of similar interests.

On Oct. 1, 1876 A. Kastor & Co. was formed by Adolph Kastor. In 1885 Germania Cutlery Works was opened in Solingen, Germany by Nathan Kastor. In 1888 A. Kastor & Bros. was formed by four brothers adopting the "Clover Brand". They imported the English brands- EBRO, XLNT, Rivington, and others. They imported the German brands- Koester's, Germania Cutlery Works,Imperial Razor (Cutwell), Morley, Wadsworth, Duane, Parker, Majestic, Argyle, Corliss, and others. "Cutwell" was the very first Kastor brand name. The first of many. In 1902 Kastor, purchased a small cutlery manufacturing firm in Camillus , N.Y. from Charles Sherwood. That was the beginning of Camillus Cutlery Company. Imported and U.S. made knives were under both Kastor and Camillus names. In 1906 Camillus introduced the "Crossed Swords" brand trademark During 1914-1918, leading up to and during WWI, Camillus and Kastor provided military knives for the U.S., Canada, Red Cross, and the Dutch. In 1923 Camillus began providing knives to the Sears Roebuck company under the brands- Sta-Sharp, Dunlap, and Kwik-Kut. In 1924 Camillus began "Stainless Cutlery Company" brand using stainless steel blades. In 1934 Camillus began the "Kent" trademark on knives for F. W. Woolsworth. By 1938 Camillus was using the brands-Streamline, Camco, Syracuse Knife Co., Mumbly Peg, High Carbon Steel, U.S.A., and others. During the 1930's Camillus made hunting knives that evolved into their military knives during WWII. During WWII Camillus was a major supplier of military knives for the U.S. and our allies. At the end of the war the Kastor name was dropped. In 1963 Camillus fell under the ownership of the daughters of Albert M. Baer, who had been associated with Camillus since 1922, Ulster since 1942, and Imperial since 1947. 1968-1984 Camillus make contract knives for Buck Knives. Through the years, Camillus has made bicentennial, commemorative, and presentation knives for many occasions, enjoying the respect of the cutlery industry. These are just the highlights of the history of a company that has served its country well.

Collecting Camillus and Kastor knives can seem confusing and frusrating at times with the many name brands that they used. It is often diffucult to know if a brand name is one of their trademarked brands or if it is one that was agreed upon under contract with a retailer, wholesaler, or even a company using knives as an advertising tool. Some knives believed to be Camillus/Kastor had no markings to indicate it. Both Camillus and Kastor imported from England, Germany, and even Poland. Most imports were by Kastor however. The Kastor family had their own factory in Germany and it provided many of the early knives, while they were making knives in Camillus, NY to fill the many contracts of various kinds. You don't want to add a knife to your collection and then later find out that it is not what the person you got it from thought it was. Nor do you want to mislead anyone else. That takes some of the fun out of the hobby. I have been gathering information on these brands from whatever source that I can. Sometimes I may only have a note that I made when I came across a bit of information. I will not claim that my information is all correct or that any part of it can't be challenged. I haven't been privvy to the kind of records that a good researcher would call proof. I can only hope that the person that passed this information on had some reason to believe it to be accurate. You may have been doing the same. I will begin to offer my information here as fast as I can and to add any new information that I collect in the future. I encourage anyone that has additional material to also share it with others. If my data is questionable, please reply to this topic to give whatever comment you'd like. I want to be as accurate as possible, with your help. If I have real doubt about any information because I have already seen conflicts, I may hold off posting it until I can learn more, rather than carelessly throw it out there. In any case I hope this is helpful to you all. When I can get to it, I will provide a list of some of my sources to help others with their research. Again, I welcome any contribution you can make, whether it's to provide tips or tell me I'm wrong. If you would prefer, you can send me a message here on Knife Talk rather than post a reply. So, bear with me, this will be a work in progress for some time.

This is a cross-reference type listing. To make it easier to find something it may be listed alphabetically in more than one place, but I will refer to the other listing when there is more information there. This is necessary because of the variety of marks that a given brand may have used. If I give a stamping, brand name, or company name first, I will provide the associated information nearby. Keep in mind that when a firm sold a brand name not made by them, that brand name may appear on knives made by several different cutlery manufacturers. Large hardware distributors and cutlery suppliers are good examples of this practice.

Thanks Ed, I enjoy it. I'm in the process of moving my shop, so my knifemaking is in limbo for a while. This will fill in the gaps and quell the nervous twitches. I'd sure like to see the knives in your collection that have inspired you through the years. Like the Ruana. Take care.

Thank-you for the information radicat. I found it most interesting. I recently acquired this Camillus. I believe it is a WWII army model. I really like the bone scales and the overall solid feel of the knife.

She is a tribute to the quality and functionality of the early Camillus line. The scales are in fantastic shape for a such a knife that usually gets beat up badly. It can only increase in value. Thanks, Clay

Thank for the reply Clay. I don't have many vintage US made knives but I am impressed with the quality of this one. I understand that there is a three-blade version of this type of knife that is rare. I'll keep my eyes open. Cheers, s-k

Hi... this is the latest addition to my collection. My intitial research suggests that this may be the sailor's raft knife. Perhaps the rounded end was designed for use in life rafts; if dropped it wouldn't puncture the raft. The scales are jigged hardwood and the bail steel. It has the four line Camillus stamp. Does anyone have any further information for me. It will be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Smiling-knife, I've seen this "Sailor's Rope Knife" with various bone scales and smooth wood, but not in a jigged wood. I have seen Camillus knives from that era with a jigged composite handle material.

The 4-line stamping was used from 1902 through 1945-46. Your knife having a steel bail makes me believe it is a very old one. Nice knife in great shape. The sailor would lay the blade across a rope and strike the spine with a pin or mallet to cut it. Clay

This little figural/advertising knife has all the whistles and bells for a Camillus collectible. 59. J. KOESTER?S SONS (BEE STAMP) ROBERTS, JOHNSONS, RAND SHOE, ST. LOUIS, MO. c. 1920-30?S, 2 3/4" FIGURAL SHOE KNIFE, with single flat ground clip blade, with advertising information stamped on the front of the blade. The blade is about full, expertly cleaned to near mint. The scales are pretty ivory appearing celluloid in the shape of a shoe with "MEN?S PATRIOT SHOE" on one side with "STAR BRAND SHOES ARE BETTER" stamped on the other side. EX++ $75.00

Older Pocket Knives http://nwknives.com Portland Cutlery, home of Northwest Knives and Collectibles.Also take a look at their hard to find books.

Hi everyone. Here is an old Anheuser Busch knife. I believe made by Kastor Bros pre WWI. Unfortunately the stanhope is now just a hole. The blades all snap nicely and I like the design. I am an avid corkscrew collector too so this encompasses both of my addictions.

I'd like to make contact with you Radicat- please email me scott@iknifecollector.com I'm working on an article for CutleryNewsJournal about Mumble Peg/Camco and would like to ask you a few questions please.